Be the change you want to see in the world.

Hannah Kasunmu

Umoja

Literature

April 30, 2013

The statement made by the leader of the Indian Nationalist Movement against British rule, Mohandas Gandhi, once said “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. This famous quote is a manual for those who are future leaders and generals of everyday lives. In order for an individual to act responsibly in regards to issues of justice; one must seek change from within first. Even though some may say that an individual’s responsibility in regards to the issue of injustice is to gather support to help fight for the causes’ resolution, in order to really change one’s society, one must know himself, know the path which he wishes to take, and change the mindset which the oppressor inflicts on him, because to fight against it, the individuals fighting can have the adverse effect of becoming an oppressor, once power is transferred.

As an individual seeks change within himself and knows exactly who he is, the world is eventually seen from a different perspective. Those who he meets would not be able to manipulate his mind as easily. The narrator from Ralph Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man, does not know who he is which is why he believes anything and answers to whatever the white men call him. Before the narrator’s grandfather died, his wish was for him was to kill the whites with kindness, but the narrator could not help, but feel like a traitor. “When I was praised for my conduct I felt a guilt that in some way I was doing something that was really against the wishes of the white folks,”( pg. 14). He felt guilty because the white people did not wish for him to be loved, but for him to be mean and sulky. “I should have been sulky and mean, and that would have been what they wanted.”(pg.14). The narrator was told, he believed that black men were not equal to white men.  People who are oppressed do so for reasons like not knowing their ethnicity, background story, or what they represent. His “Irresponsibility is part of his invisibility,” the narrator who complained about his invisibility knew that he was invisible (people do not acknowledge his presence) and he does not do anything to actually fix it. All he ever does is complain and complaining never got him to be visible.

Furthermore, when an individual knows who their, they must know the path which they wishes to take. Knowing who they are helps them with the places and the people who they should avoid; those types who would hold them down or stop them from progressing to the next stage of being responsible with the issue justice. During the time when the narrator of Ralph Ellison’ novel, Invisible Man, gave his speech he really did not know who he was. He was confused between the ideology his grandfather taught him and the one the white shows him.”… Someday he’ll lead his people in the proper paths…and so to encourage him in the right direction.”(pg.26). Those who encourage others down a path which they do not know of would not save the person from themselves. The enlightened Buddha once said “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” No one can decide another’s path since they will not be there to walk along.  No other can change another’s path because it is what he had chosen and was destined for.

Thus, changing the mindset the oppressor enforces on individuals striving to know themselves and their path will go hand in hand with knowing who one is. One must be wary of all of the conflict that happens in the society and look closely at what has happened and how it has been solved in the past. From there one would be able tell the movements, ideologies, and techniques of the oppressor. An individual is conditioned to believing that they are beneath the accepted norm and that there is always something to change about themselves to fit with the standards set by the oppressors and the status quo. Harrison Bergeron, from the shot story Harrison Bergeron, was a giant with great hearing and was very wise. But the government isolated and depressed him mentally and physically because he was a threat to their power. It made him believe that what they said was something that he could change about himself but it never stopped him. “Even as I stand here” he bellowed, “crippled, hobbled, and sickened- I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived! Now watch me become what I can become.”(pg.4). Harrison knew what he stood for so the insult the government sprouted did not inflict pain onto his spirit. The great Alexander Hamilton once said, “Those who stand for something will fall for nothing”. This is why one should know what they stand for; their weaknesses and strengths in order to change their mindset.

In closing, in order to seek change from within one must first know himself. Mohandas Gandhi knew that he was a peaceful man and did not want to use violence against Britain because he wanted to the world to be a peaceful place. Second is to know the path which he wishes to take and Buddha ideology proves the point. “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”  Third is to change the mindset which the oppressor inflicts on him just like Harrison Bergeron who would not let the government keep him from his “delusional” mentality.